Key Switch - Small

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Key Switch - Small

COM-10445

Description: Have you ever wanted to start your widget the same way you start your car? These small switches are the key to making that happen. This simple ON-OFF switch can be used to power up your project with the turn of a key. At only 14.6mm across the top and 23mm long, it won’t take up much space in your project enclosure.

While the datasheet does rate these switches for 1A at 125VAC, we recommend using them as input switches or to switch small voltages, such as power to your Arduino. However they can be used to switch small amounts of power.

I installed 6 of these switches in some custom manufacturing tools for my company. One never worked, and I pulled it apart and found that one of the contacts was half missing, as if it had been punched out of the edge of a sheet of metal. Two more have broken during use; both cracked and fell apart at the back, causing the light gray piece (seen in the pictures) to fall out.

As others have said, these switches are not keyed at all. You could turn them with a small screwdriver, coin, or possibly fingernail (though I haven’t tried the last).

Even the switches that are working feel very cheap, and sometimes have to be turned back and forth a couple times before they make contact.

I’m a fan of SparkFun, but this particular product is pretty lousy in my experience. I wouldn’t recommend buying it.

yea if you look around everyone has sparkfun stuff so its not that hard to find somone else with a sparkfun key lock :D
and yes im sucking up to sparkfun but it is a good question to ask if they are keyed the same

Yes these will do DC (Direct Current) as well as AC (Alternating Current). For historical reasons switches are usually only given an AC rating. The practical DC rating will be somewhat less than the AC rating, if you don’t go above half of the AC rating (500mA in this case) you will be fine.

These switches are cheap, and good if you want an quick and easy part, however they keys don’t fit snugly, are very small (and easy to lose), and I feel like I am going to break the switch with any have use. The housing does not use a ring mounting piece, but rather a pair of depressed tabs on the sides to connect to a faceplate. These tabs slide easily, so the orientation of the switch in regard to the faceplate changes with use. The terminals are extremely small. I haven’t soldered these yet, but I imagine it is not easy.

just ordered one to throw into a automation/control panel fro the tv studio at my school. looks great, and there are some other cool looking models in the datasheet, especially the on-off-on options, maybe if these do well ya’ll could find some more?
I can find keyswitches at other places for $6-8 but at less than $1 this is a steal.

ehhh… just received it an never-mind..
may be you could grab an on-off-on from another manufacturer…
the whole assembly feels like in will break before you even push the key in.. doesn’t matter which direction the key goes in, there are no pins in the cylinder, its really just a rotary switch with a little slot in front. clearly a novelty.

My thoughts exactly, I just received mine, and while I am amazed at how small it is, it can be turned by anything that will fit in the slot. It is clearly more for ‘security of activation’ rather than outright security. In that it will be nearly impossible to accidentally turn the switch, so in that respect it is still useful..
Just don’t be using it to secure a project in any way, as it is NOT A LOCK! :)
But it’s a buck and tiny, I have no issues :)

FYI, the switch doesn’t hold up to the screwdriver test. If the key escapes you there’s that option.
Oh, I found a ½" hole to work the best for this, it fits snugly. That said it will still spin, so hot glue is likely your friend.
Best look/feel so far for me, ½" hole in a ¼" thick wood panel. I haven’t glued it yet, but this feels the most solid.
Too bad there isn’t a nut on the back to hold this in place.

A note on security: I’m not sure how these switches would hold up to a drill, but I would assume it would lose (for $0.95). After that, shorting the leads would give full access to whatever system it “protects."
Not discouraging it, because I love it, but just don’t think you should protect your car, house, or gold with this (alone).

Of course. These are $1 switches and are assumed for ‘novelty’ uses and not meant in any way to secure belongings.
I think that is assumed seeing as they snap into place and don’t have a threaded collar or anything.

I was looking for something like this as a master-arm switch for an air-cannon I built. My only intent is prevent accidental activation. I had given up because it seems like any industrial version of this type of switch runs upwards of $80. This is absolutely perfect.

Oh man, last summer I went on the hunt for key switches for a project… Only to come up disheartened! So expensive to buy them from DigiKey~, but to be fair, they had some pretty sweet models.
This would have been perfect though!

I think he’s referring to when cranking the engine to start you rcar. When you turn the key to crank the engine to start, it’s a momentary switch, until you release and the key resets back to the position where electronics are enabled. So really he was thinking of a tri-state key lock. off-on-momentary.

Actually, at least with my vehicles, you can turn the key backward to turn on (some of?) the electronics, forward for on, and then the momentary position for ignition. So I stand by my original statement in saying that this switch, while awesome, does not let me start my widget the same way I start my car.

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